Central management and control of user-contributed content in a web-based collaboration environment and management console thereof

• US 9,197,718 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2012
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Inventors: Kiang, Andy, Lee, David T.
• Primary Examiner(s): TANK, ANDREW L
• Application Number:
  US13/547,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20130080919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 715741-743, 715751-753, 715/811, 715/968
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

Systems and methods for central management and control of user-contributed content in a web-based collaboration environment are disclosed. In one aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure include a method, which may be implemented on a system, for enabling an administrative user in an enterprise setting to centrally manage and control content provided by other users of the enterprise in a web-based collaboration environment. In one embodiment, a view providing access to an aggregate of the content or a selection thereof provided by the other users is depicted in a user interface for the administrative user to access the web-based collaboration environment. The user interface for the administrative user includes both of a management console to access the content provided by other users and a panel for accessing an account of the user and work items owned by the administrative user.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a user to centrally manage content hosted in a web-based collaboration environment, the web-based collaboration environment including a plurality of workspaces representing groupings of sets of content hosted in the web-based collaboration environment, the method comprising:

presenting a common graphical user interface to the web-based collaboration environment, the common graphical user interface including a tab for a user view and a tab for an administrator view;

enabling access, via the user view, to the user'"'"'s content and content of other users within one or more of a plurality of workspaces of the collaboration environment to which the user has been granted access as a collaborator, by at least one of the other users;

verifying that the user has administrator permissions to access an aggregate of the content in at least one of the plurality of workspaces of the collaboration environment and manage the other users associated with the at least one of the plurality of workspaces;

in response to verifying that the user has administrator permissions, enabling access, via the administrator view, to the aggregate of the content in at least one the plurality of workspaces of the collaboration environment to which the user has administrator permissions, regardless of whether the user has been granted access as a collaborator by another user, and

providing a management console in the administrator view through which the user can manage the other users associated with the at least one of the plurality of workspaces;

wherein access permissions include permissions to upload, download, view, preview, and edit individual work items;

wherein each work item includes a particular piece of content provided by one or more of the other users; and

wherein management permissions include permissions to track and monitor other users, assign tasks to other users, review the content of other users, and change access permission levels of other users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, the administrator view includes the aggregate of content provided by the other users presented as a list of files or folders.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, through the administrator view, the user is able to selectively access a subset of the aggregate of the content by applying filtering mechanisms through the user interface to manage the content or one or more of the other users that provided the content.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, the filtering mechanisms allow the user to access content associated with a specific workspace.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, a subset of the other users are associated with the specific workspace.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, the user view includes a panel for accessing an account of the user and work items owned by the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, the user and the other users are affiliated with a common organization;

wherein, the user assumes an administrative role in the common organization.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, the filtering mechanisms allow the user to access content associated with a specific user of the other users.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, the administrator view includes group management features to allow the user to manage user groups among the other users.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, the user manages user groups by adjusting group associations and permissions.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein, the management permissions further include one or more of, assigning a task related to an individual work item to another user, version control or tracking of the individual work items in the aggregate set of content, changing or updating access permissions of the individual work items in the aggregate set of content, monitoring status of the individual work items or assigned tasks, and assigning tasks in a work space to a specific user of the other users.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein, the access permissions further include one or more of, uploading or creating work items in a work space associated with other users.

13. A system for enabling a user to centrally manage content hosted in a web-based collaboration environment, the web-based collaboration environment including a plurality of workspaces representing groupings of sets of content hosted in the web-based collaboration environment, the system comprising:

one or more or more processors; and

one or more memory units having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to;

present a common graphical user interface to the web-based collaboration environment, the common graphical user interface including a tab for a user view and a tab for an administrator view;

enable access, via the user view, to the user'"'"'s content and content of other users within one or more of a plurality of workspaces of the collaboration environment to which the user has been granted access as a collaborator, by at least one of the other users;

verify that the user has administrator permissions to access an aggregate of the content in at least one of the plurality of workspaces of the collaboration environment and manage the other users associated with the at least one of the plurality of workspaces;

in response to verifying that the user has administrator permissions, enable access, via the administrator view, to the aggregate of the content in at least one the plurality of workspaces of the collaboration environment to which the user has administrator permissions, regardless of whether the user has been granted access as a collaborator by another user, and

provide a management console in the administrator view through which the user can manage the other users associated with the at least one of the plurality of workspaces;

wherein access permissions include permissions to upload, download, view, preview, and edit individual work items;

wherein each work item includes a particular piece of content provided by one or more of the other users; and

wherein management permissions include permissions to track and monitor other users, assign tasks to other users, review the content of other users, and change access permission levels of other users.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein, the administrator view includes group management features to allow the user to manage user groups among the other users.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the user manages user groups by adjusting group associations and permissions.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the management permissions further include one or more of assigning a task related to an individual work item to another user, version control or tracking of the individual work items in the aggregate set of content, changing or updating access permissions of the individual work items in the aggregate set of content, monitoring status of the individual work items or assigned tasks, and assigning tasks in a work space to a specific user of the other users.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein, the access permissions further include one or more of, uploading or creating work items in a work space associated with other users.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method for enabling a user to centrally manage content hosted in a web-based collaboration environment, the web-based collaboration environment including a plurality of workspaces representing groupings of sets of content hosted in the web-based collaboration environment, the method comprising:

presenting a common graphical user interface to the web-based collaboration environment, the common graphical user interface including a tab for a user view and a tab for an administrator view;

enabling access, via the user view, to the user'"'"'s content and content of other users within one or more of a plurality of workspaces of the collaboration environment to which the user has been granted access as a collaborator, by at least one of the other users;

verifying that the user has administrator permissions to access an aggregate of the content in at least one of the plurality of workspaces of the collaboration environment and manage the other users associated with the at least one of the plurality of workspaces;

in response to verifying that the user has administrator permissions, enabling access, via the administrator view, to the aggregate of the content in at least one of the plurality of workspaces of the collaboration environment to which the user has administrator permissions, regardless of whether the user has been granted access as a collaborator by another user, and

providing a management console in the administrator view through which the user can manage the other users associated with the at least one of the plurality of workspaces;

wherein access permissions include permissions to upload, download, view, preview, and edit individual work items;

wherein each work item includes a particular piece of content provided by one or more of the other users; and

wherein management permissions include permissions to track and monitor other users, assign tasks to other users, review the content of other users, and change access permission levels of other users.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein, the administrator view includes group management features to allow the user to manage user groups among the other users.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the user manages user groups by adjusting group associations and permissions.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the management permissions further include one or more of assigning a task related to an individual work item to another user, version control or tracking of the individual work items in the aggregate set of content, changing or updating access permissions of the individual work items in the aggregate set of content, monitoring status of the individual work items or assigned tasks, and assigning tasks in a work space to a specific user of the other users.

22. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein, the access permissions further include one or more of, uploading or creating work items in a work space associated with other users.